1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a floating manifold capable of transferring a fluid between a stationary member and a rotatable member and more particularly to a floating manifold for transferring hydraulic oil between a stationary transmission case and a rotatable traction clutch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, manifolds are employed in drive train assemblies wherein they function in hydraulically connecting two members together. These manifolds are normally located between a stationary transmission case and a rotatable clutch assembly having an annular piston actuated by hydraulic oil. The clutch assembly, which is concentrically positioned on a transmission shaft, is sealed to the interior surface of the manifold by metal sealing rings. Such sealing rings can only tolerate a small amount of eccentricity between the two members. One method used for controlling the amount of eccentricity entailed mounting the rotating clutch housing on a set of bearings. The bearings would support the rotatable clutch housing in the stationary housing and maintain adequate concentricity with the rigid manifold. However, this method did not lend itself to applications where the clutch was mounted directly to the engine flywheel as is common in the automotive field.
So mounting the clutch directly to the engine flywheel is convenient and saves transmission space. When the engine and clutch are to be joined directly to the transmission case, the sealing rings must enter the manifold but there is no way to guide the sealing rings into the manifold to avoid damage to the sealing rings. For these reasons, automotive applications normally use lever activated clutches, having a throw out bearing, instead of hydraulically activated clutches actuated with annular pistons. When it was attempted to mount a hydraulically activated clutch, having a rotatable annular piston, directly to the engine flywheel, the sealing rings tended to cantilever off the end of the engine crankshaft. This cantilever effect would accentuate crankshaft deflections caused by the engine firing forces as well as other concentricity errors and together, these forces and errors would result in failure of the manifold.
Now a floating manifold has been invented which will join a hydraulically activated clutch which is mounted to an engine flywheel, directly to a stationary transmission case.